The Centre on Thursday rejected claims of a “glut-like” situation in wheat mandis of Punjab, asserting that procurement, lifting and evacuation operations during the ongoing Rabi Marketing Season (RMS) 2026-27 are progressing more efficiently compared to last year.
The clarification came in response to a media report which alleged that delays in wheat lifting had created congestion in mandis across the state.
According to the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution, total wheat arrivals in Punjab as of May 6, 2026 stood at around 122 lakh metric tonnes (LMT), lower than the 125 LMT recorded during the corresponding period last year. The lower arrivals themselves indicate that the current season has not witnessed any abnormal buildup of stocks in mandis.
The Ministry further said that progressive lifting of wheat from mandis has actually improved this year. As of May 6, around 78.96 LMT wheat had been lifted, compared to 75.63 LMT during the same period in 2025. The higher lifting despite lower arrivals demonstrates that evacuation operations are moving faster and helping reduce congestion in mandis.
To further streamline procurement logistics, authorities said extensive direct delivery operations from mandis have been planned this season. Around 3.5 LMT wheat was moved through direct delivery mechanisms in April 2026, while another 6.6 LMT has already been planned for May and an additional 8 LMT is expected to be moved in June. Overall, nearly 18 LMT wheat is proposed to be evacuated directly from mandis during the current RMS in coordination with state authorities.
The Centre also highlighted that Punjab has received the largest allocation of wheat-special trains for transportation across the country. Out of 413 wheat specials placed for all-India movement during April 2026, Punjab alone was allotted 234 trains. Similarly, in May 2026, the state received 201 out of the 354 wheat specials allocated nationwide, accounting for nearly 60 per cent of the country’s planned wheat movement.
The Ministry and the Food Corporation of India (FCI) are closely monitoring the ground situation in Punjab. To further ease pressure on mandis, an additional 100 wheat-special trains, capable of transporting around 3 LMT wheat, are being allocated to Punjab during May for movement towards Uttar Pradesh and southern states.
The Ministry maintained that the coordinated efforts between the Centre, FCI and state authorities are ensuring smooth procurement and faster evacuation of wheat during the ongoing marketing season.
